SkyClan's Destiny Read online

  SUPER EDITION

  WARRIORS

  SKYCLAN’S

  DESTINY

  ERIN

  HUNTER

  WARRIORS

  Book One: Into the Wild

  Book Two: Fire and Ice

  Book Three: Forest of Secrets

  Book Four: Rising Storm

  Book Five: A Dangerous Path

  Book Six: The Darkest Hour

  THE NEW PROPHECY

  Book One: Midnight

  Book Two: Moonrise

  Book Three: Dawn

  Book Four: Starlight

  Book Five: Twilight

  Book Six: Sunset

  POWER OF THREE

  Book One: The Sight

  Book Two: Dark River

  Book Three: Outcast

  Book Four: Eclipse

  Book Five: Long Shadows

  Book Six: Sunrise

  OMEN OF THE STARS

  Book One: The Fourth Apprentice

  Book Two: Fading Echoes

  EXPLORE THE

  WARRIORS

  WORLD

  Warriors Super Edition: Firestar’s Quest

  Warriors Super Edition: Bluestar’s Prophecy

  Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans

  Warriors: Cats of the Clans

  Warriors: Code of the Clans

  Warriors: Battles of the Clans

  MANGA

  The Lost Warrior

  Warrior’s Refuge

  Warrior’s Return

  The Rise of Scourge

  Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods

  Tigerstar and Sasha #2: Escape from the Forest

  Tigerstar and Sasha #3: Return to the Clans

  Ravenpaw’s Path #1: Shattered Peace

  Ravenpaw’s Path #2: A Clan in Need

  Ravenpaw’s Path #3: The Heart of a Warrior

  Dedication

  Special thanks to Cherith Baldry

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Allegiance

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Turn The Page To Read

  Turn The Page For A Sneak Peek

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  About the Author

  Other Works

  Credtis

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Allegiances

  SKYCLAN

  LEADER

  LEAFSTAR—brown-and-cream tabby she-cat with amber eyes

  DEPUTY

  SHARPCLAW—dark ginger tom

  MEDICINE CAT

  ECHOSONG—silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

  WARRIORS

  (toms, and she-cats without kits)

  PATCHFOOT—black-and-white tom

  PETALNOSE—pale gray she-cat

  APPRENTICE, SAGEPAW

  SPARROWPELT—dark brown tabby tom

  CHERRYTAIL—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

  WASPWHISKER—gray-and-white tom

  APPRENTICE, MINTPAW

  SHREWTOOTH—skinny black tom

  EBONYCLAW—striking black she-cat

  APPRENTICE, FRECKLEPAW

  BILLYSTORM—ginger-and-white tom

  APPRENTICE, SNOOKPAW

  HARVEYMOON—white tom

  MACGYVER—black-and-white tom

  ROCKSHADE—black tom

  BOUNCEFIRE—ginger tom (Clovertail’s son)

  TINYCLOUD—small white she-cat (Clovertail’s daughter)

  APPRENTICES

  (more than six moons old, in training to become warriors)

  SAGEPAW—pale gray tom (son of Petalnose and Rainfur)

  MINTPAW—gray tabby she-cat (daughter of Petalnose and Rainfur)

  SNOOKPAW—black-and-white tom

  FRECKLEPAW—mottled light brown tabby she-cat with spotted legs

  QUEENS

  (she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

  FALLOWFERN—pale brown she-cat (mother to Hunchfoot’s kits: Rabbitkit, Creekkit, Nettlekit, and Plumkit)

  CLOVERTAIL—light brown she-cat with white belly and legs (expecting Patchfoot’s kits)

  ELDERS

  (former warriors and queens, now retired)

  LICHENFUR—gray mottled she-cat

  TANGLE—ragged tabby tom loner

  CATS OUTSIDE THE CLAN

  EGG—cream-colored tom loner

  HUTCH—dark brown kittypet (formerly Shortwhisker)

  OSCAR—black kittypet

  BELLA—tabby-and-white kittypet with amber eyes

  ROSE—elegant brown-and-cream Siamese kittypet with slanting blue eyes

  LILY—Rose’s sister

  STICK—brown tom with yellow eyes and a torn ear

  CORA—black she-cat

  COAL—black tom

  SHORTY—brown tom with amber eyes and half a tail

  SNOWY—white she-cat

  PERCY—dark gray tabby tom

  RED—dark ginger she-cat

  DODGE—dark brown tabby tom

  SKIPPER—ginger-and-white tom

  HARLEY—gray-and-brown tabby tom

  MISHA—cream-colored she-cat

  ONION—silver-and-black she-cat

  NUTMEG—tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

  VELVET—silver kittypet

  ANCIENT SKYCLAN

  CLOUDSTAR—pale gray tom with white patches and very pale blue eyes

  BUZZARDSTAR—ginger tom with green eyes (deputy when SkyClan left the forest)

  FAWNSTEP—light brown tabby she-cat (medicine cat when SkyClan left the forest)

  BIRDFLIGHT—light brown tabby she-cat with long fluffy fur and amber eyes

  FERNPELT—dark brown tabby she-cat

  MOUSEFANG—sandy-colored she-cat

  NIGHTFUR—black tom

  OAKSTEP—gray tabby tom

  SPIDERSTAR—dark tabby tom (last leader of Ancient SkyClan)

  HONEYLEAF—ginger tabby she-cat (last deputy of Ancient SkyClan)

  BRACKENHEART—brown tabby tom (last medicine cat of Ancient SkyClan)

  SWALLOWFLIGHT—black tom

  SKYWATCHER—dark gray tom with pale blue eyes (lived in the gorge before Modern SkyClan was formed)

  RAINFUR—light gray tom with dark gray flecks (killed in the battle with the rats)

  Prologue

  The sun was going down, casting deep shadows over the gorge. A chilly breeze ruffled the surface of the river and whirled the last few shriveled leaves through the air. The only sound was the murmur of water that surged from a black hole in a pile of boulders, coiling into a pool before winding away into the darkness beneath the cliffs.

  A dark tabby tom appeared at the top of the gorge, outlined against the sky. He paused for a moment, tasting the air. The dying sun shed bloodred light over his pelt, touching a patch on his shoulder where the fur had been torn away. After a few he
artbeats the tabby tom signaled with his tail and began to pick his way down a narrow track that zigzagged across the face of the cliff. Seven other cats followed him: A white she-cat stumbled awkwardly on three paws, the fourth a mass of blood-soaked fur held close to her chest; a long-legged black tom edged downward nervously, one eye closed and sticky with blood; a young ginger tom limped with both ears shredded. Not one of the cats was free of wounds.

  As the eight warriors padded painfully down the trail toward the water’s edge, four more cats emerged from a cave a little farther along the gorge. The first was a young brown tabby tom who sprang quickly down the rocks to the foot of the boulders. His paws worked anxiously in the sand as he waited for the warriors to arrive. The other three were elders who stumbled after him on shaky legs.

  “Well, Spiderstar?” one of them rasped as the leading cat reached the bottom of the cliff. The elder’s muzzle was gray with age, and every one of his ribs was visible beneath his thin black pelt. “What happened? Did you win?”

  The dark tabby tom paused for a moment, then padded forward to touch his nose to the older cat’s ear. “What does it look like, Nightfur?” he murmured in reply. “Brackenheart,” he added to the young brown tabby, “I hope your den is well stocked with herbs. We’re going to need them.”

  Before the medicine cat could reply, the long-legged black tom pushed up beside his Clan leader, his lip curling in contempt. “Of course we didn’t win. This battle was lost before it was even begun.”

  A ginger tabby she-cat, who had brought up the rear as the battle-scarred cats made their way down the cliff, bounded up and glared at the black tom. “You can’t say that, Swallow-flight! We had to fight. SkyClan still has its pride!”

  It was the white she-cat who replied, shaking her head sadly. “Pride in what, Honeyleaf? We can’t feed ourselves because the rats have chased off all the prey. No kits have been born in moons. The only ceremonies we have now are to send our Clanmates to our ancestors.”

  The ginger she-cat’s head whipped around, her green eyes narrowing to slits. “Look, Frostclaw—”

  “Will we hold ceremonies for Sunpelt and Fallensnow?” the young warrior with the shredded ears interrupted. His voice was trembling with grief.

  “We will, Rowanfur.” Spiderstar dipped his head to the young cat. “Their spirits are free now to walk among the stars.”

  “What?” A gray tabby elder rose shakily to his paws. “Sunpelt and Fallensnow are dead? Then where are their bodies? We must sit vigil for them and then bury them.”

  “Oakstep, we had to leave them behind,” Swallowflight spat out with a lash of his tail. “We were too busy fleeing to save our own pelts to carry our fallen Clanmates.” He turned away, his head bowed as if he couldn’t bear to go on looking at the others.

  Frostclaw padded up and sat quietly beside him, pushing her nose into the black tom’s matted shoulder fur. “Swallowflight, there was nothing else we could have done for them. No cat could blame us.”

  “She’s right,” Brackenheart meowed quietly. “Our Clanmates hunt with StarClan now. They’ll understand.”

  Spiderstar nodded, his eyes dark with pain and loss.

  “But if you had brought them back we could have buried them!” Oakstep protested. “Where is the honor in leaving them to be picked over by the rats? Sunpelt and Fallensnow should never be crow-food!”

  Every paw step an effort, he started to hobble up the trail that led to the top of the gorge. Before he had gone more than a few fox-lengths, Spiderstar darted in front of him and forced the grief-stricken elder to stop.

  “We have lost enough Clanmates tonight,” he mewed. “Let us pray for their spirits as they join StarClan.”

  Swallowflight’s ears pricked, and he turned to look at his Clan leader. “StarClan? Do you think they are really watching over us?” His whiskers twitched with disgust. “If they cared about us at all, they would never have let the rats come.”

  Honeyleaf whirled to face her Clanmate. “StarClan has given us the warrior code, and with that comes the courage and skill to defeat our enemies. SkyClan is not defeated yet!”

  Silence greeted her words. It was several heartbeats before Spiderstar spoke, his voice aching with sadness. “Honeyleaf, you’re wrong. We are defeated. I cannot bear to lead my Clanmates into one more battle, to watch them starve through another leaf-bare, afraid of every noise, every stirring leaf. We have become prey.” He heaved a sigh from the depths of his chest. “The rats have won. SkyClan is no more.”

  A chorus of protest broke out at the Clan leader’s words. The third elder, a sandy-colored she-cat, hauled herself to her paws and padded up to face him, her whiskers twitching.

  “That can’t be right, Spiderstar,” she growled. “I was a kit when we lived in the forest, when the Twolegs stole our territory and the other Clans forced us to leave. Some cats thought SkyClan was finished, but we found a new home for ourselves, here in the gorge. If losing our home didn’t beat us, neither should this battle.”

  “Mousefang’s right.” Oakstep padded to his Clanmate’s side. “We can’t give up now.”

  “Show us these rats and we’ll fight them,” another elder, Nightfur, added.

  “I never knew the forest, but I honor your memories of it.” Spiderstar dipped his head to the three old cats, respect in his eyes. “No cat doubts your courage, my friends, but there’s nothing that any of us can do. There are too many rats.”

  “Then there has to be another answer!” Honeyleaf burst out. “Spiderstar, I’ve tried to be a good, brave, loyal deputy, to you and to SkyClan. I’ve worked my paws off, and I’ve never been afraid to fight. I didn’t come this far just to watch our Clan die!”

  Spiderstar reached out to touch the she-cat’s shoulder with the tip of his tail. “You have been the best deputy a cat could wish for,” he told her. “And you would have led your Clan with the same honor and courage. Every cat knows that.”

  “What do you mean, ‘would have’?” Honeyleaf drew her lips back in the beginning of a snarl; her neck fur bristled up. “I—”

  “This is all a load of mouse dung.” Nightfur cut off what the deputy was about to say. “How are we supposed to survive as loners if we can’t survive as a Clan?”

  For a few heartbeats no cat answered; they exchanged dismayed glances with one another, as if the old black tom’s words had suddenly made them realize that they were facing a future without the support of their Clan. Even Honeyleaf subsided, her fur settling flat again and only her tail-tip twitching.

  “I… I’ve been taking food from Twolegs now and again,” Frostclaw admitted, lowering her head and giving her mangled paw a lick. “It doesn’t taste too bad, if you’re hungry.”

  “What?” Honeyleaf’s ears pricked. “Food from Twolegs? That’s completely against the warrior code!”

  Frostclaw blinked at her guiltily and didn’t try to defend herself.

  The young ginger tom, Rowanfur, padded up to her and pressed himself against her side. “So what?” he meowed defiantly. “I’ve been taking food from Twolegs, too. I’d rather do that than starve. I reckon they’d take us into their dens,” he added, his voice shaking a little. “I think they’re sorry for us, seeing how thin we are. If we went to live with them, we’d have shelter and we’d be safe from the rats.”

  One or two of the other cats nodded and murmured agreement.

  Honeyleaf stalked into the middle of the group, raking them with an icy glare from her green eyes. “Kittypets? You want to be kittypets? SkyClan warriors will never do that! It would be the greatest shame of all!”

  “That’s true!” Swallowflight agreed with a lash of his tail. “I’d rather die than go crawling to Twolegs for food!”

  None of the other cats could meet the deputy’s accusing stare. At last, Mousefang asked quietly, “Brackenheart, have you had a sign from StarClan? Can they tell us what to do?”